Montefioralle on the Slow Day.

A very small group today (just 2!) meant that Laura and Camae -I hope I've spelled it right- got a personal tour of Tuscany's less traveled roads. We could barely find a soul in Montefioralle; well apart from Fernando who let us try his wines and showed the prizes for the painting competition-

• 6 IGT 2007 "Monteficalle" bottles

• 6 Riserva 2007 bottles

• 12 Chianti Classico 2008 bottles

Now thats a competition worth entering.

Cherry picking on the slow day

A great day with Raelene and Ted from Brisbane. It stuck me that some things are easy to take for granted when Raelene was overjoyed to pick cherries from the trees that skirt the grape vines.

So, at least for the next few weeks, or until the birds do their worst, cherry picking will be part of our slow day in Tuscany.

Cherry harvest in Tuscany

Everyone lends a hand when its harvest time in Tuscany. A bed-sheet is placed beneath the tree and cherries flung down, to be sorted by hand later. The ladders we used couldn't reach the top branches of the tree...so the birds will have their share.

This was Friday; by Sunday the cherries not already made into jam were beginning to turn. How fast they rot without preservatives- it does make me wonder exactly which chemicals the supermarkets use to prolong their shelf life.

Another great day

On a day like today...there's nowhere I'd rather be. The first small green tomatoes have appeared on the balcony plants and those at the orto (allotment) and with this heat they should be ripe in no time at all. Everything so full of promise...

Slow Food Restaurant of the day - Taverna Del Guerrino - Not only some of the best traditional Tuscan dishes, but a view of hills, vineyards and olive groves beyond compare.

A stop for the view.

On the road in Chianti we decided to stop and take in the view. It's magical, no matter how many times you've been here. In the last few weeks the vines have gone from gnarled stumps to vibrant greens with new life bursting out everywhere.

It certainly makes a break from Florence.

Coming Alive.

A short ride from Florence and the hills of chianti are greening as spring has well and truly begun. It's hard to take a bad photo with perfect skies, and a landscape of olive groves, vines and cyprusses.

...but a photo will never tell the whole story. Even a painting... only approaches ...being here.

Vines and Vistas.

The days grow warmer and all of a sudden life is everywhere...but the vines......slowly does it. They take their time to awaken and somehow I agree. Where is the hurry? Summer days will come. There will be time yet to grow and ripen.